Sandcastle Days I

Tropical beauty could once again be seen on the beautiful shores of South Padre Island, TX.

Yet, all was not perfect in paradise. Look closely at the man in the black t-shirt below. He has a cloth wrapped around his nose and mouth.

The reason he did this is that there is “Red Tide” going on right now. It has to do with toxins in the water that affect how the fish breathe. They can’t get oxygen and therefore die from lack of it. This MIGHT affect humans if close to the water because the wind causes waves, the waves stir up the toxins and get them airborne, then we breathe the stuff. At Sandcastle Days, you are close to the water so this may result in watery eyes and it may irritate your breathing passages. This can be countered by using a filter such as a cloth or mask. Some people didn’t even need a filtering device and enjoyed the beautiful day on the beach.

Many people came out to enjoy Sandcastle Days this year out at Isla Blanca Park on the south side of South Padre Island and stayed to see the competitors sculpt their beautiful masterpieces.

I fell in love with this one immediately. It is neat how they can make something that seems alive coming out of something that is not, like the sand. The ability to cross the line between what is animate and inanimate is always fascinating.

Then I saw this creature crawling up from out of the sand…

This is one of the sandsculptors enjoying a lunch under the pavilion. The community of South Padre Island band together to welcome these hard-working guests every year. It is just bad luck that this year was marred by the red tide.

This is Amazing Walter, one of South Padre Island’s most beloved locals. Sandsculpting is one of his many, many talents.

Amazing Walter and his friends have the talent to create something amazing like this:

Sandcastle Days is going on right now down at Isla Blanca Park. The wind seems to have died down today so the red tide may not even be affecting people. The best thing you can do is take a mask or a bandana and find out for yourself. I wore a mask and was able to breathe comfortably because it filtered out the irritants. It is certainly worth a trip to see these masterpieces being built right in front of your eyes. If the irritants are too much then you can come home and watch it on http://southpadrelive.com/beach-cam.htm This view was provided by SouthPadreLive.com the best marketing company in the area. If you want great advertising, they are the people to go with. I really appreciate the service they are providing with this camera out there.